Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Dec;28(12):4052-4068.
doi: 10.1007/s10461-024-04467-z. Epub 2024 Sep 9.

Engaging Family Members to Support Exclusive Breastfeeding, Responsive care, and Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Among Families with Children who are HIV-Exposed and Uninfected

Tulani Francis L Matenga  1   2 , Harsh Agarwal  3 , Oluwamuyiwa P Adeniran  3 , Melissa Lam-McCarthy  4 , Enioluwaduroti Abigail Johnson  3 , Josephine Nyambe  5 , Rhoda Chabaputa  1 , Sithembile Chanda  1 , Douglas M Habinda  1 , Laetitia Mulenga  1 , Shimeo Sakanya  1 , Margaret P Kasaro  1 , Suzanne Maman  6 , Benjamin H Chi  7   8 , Stephanie L Martin  9   10
Affiliations

Engaging Family Members to Support Exclusive Breastfeeding, Responsive care, and Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Among Families with Children who are HIV-Exposed and Uninfected

Tulani Francis L Matenga et al. AIDS Behav. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

Children who are HIV-exposed and uninfected (CHEU) are at increased risk for poor growth, health, and development compared to children who are HIV-unexposed and uninfected. To support families with CHEU, we assessed the acceptability of engaging family members to support women living with HIV (WLWH) with exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) and antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence and to engage in responsive infant caregiving. We conducted trials of improved practices, a consultative research approach, that follows participants over time as they try recommended behaviors. We enrolled postpartum women in Lusaka, Zambia, who identified home supporters. At visit 1, WLWH were interviewed about current practices. At visit 2, WLWH and home supporters received tailored EBF, responsive care, and ART adherence counseling. At visit 3, WLWH and home supporters were interviewed about their experiences trying recommended practices for 2-3 weeks. Interview transcripts were analyzed thematically. Participants included 23 WLWH, 15 male partners, and 8 female family members. WLWH reported several barriers to EBF. The most common were fear of HIV transmission via breastfeeding-despite high ART adherence-and insufficient breastmilk. After counseling, WLWH reported less fear of HIV transmission and improved breastfeeding practices. Home supporters reported providing WLWH increased support for EBF and ART adherence and practicing responsive caregiving. Both male and female home supporters appreciated being included in counseling and more involved in caregiving, and WLWH valued the increased support. Families with CHEU need focused support. Tailored counseling and family support for WLWH show promise for improving EBF, responsive caregiving, and ART adherence.

Keywords: ART adherence; Counseling; Early child development; Exclusive breastfeeding; Family; HIV-exposed uninfected children.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Participants flow diagram
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. UNAIDS. Global AIDS Update. 2022. Geneva: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS; 2022.
    1. Evans C, Jones CE, Prendergast AJ. HIV-exposed, uninfected infants: New global challenges in the era of paediatric HIV elimination. Lancet Infect Dis. 2016;16(6):e92–107. 10.1016/S1473-3099(16)00055-4. - PubMed
    1. Rosala-Hallas A, Bartlett JW, Filteau S. Growth of HIV-exposed uninfected, compared with HIV-unexposed, Zambian children: a longitudinal analysis from infancy to school age. BMC Pediatr. 2017;17:1–9. 10.1186/s12887-017-0828-6. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rochat T, Netsi E, Redinger S, Stein A. Parenting and HIV. Curr Opin Psychol. 2017;15:155–61. 10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.02.019. - PubMed
    1. McHenry MS, McAteer CI, Oyungu E, McDonald BC, Bosma CB, Mpofu PB, et al. Neurodevelopment in young children born to HIV-infected mothers: a meta-analysis. Pediatrics. 2018;141(2):e20172888–e. 10.1542/peds.2017-2888. - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms